


Hugs and a Side of Pepto

by esteefee



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-07
Updated: 2012-05-07
Packaged: 2017-11-04 23:27:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/399372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esteefee/pseuds/esteefee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for <a href="http://esteefee.livejournal.com/100608.html">the MULTIFANDOM HUGFEST 2012</a>. COME READ MOAR AVENGERS HUGS THERE.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hugs and a Side of Pepto

  
"JARVIS." Tony stopped at the front door to kick aside some stuff that looked like intestines? Maybe Chitauri intestines, maybe someone spilled their sannakji hoe take-out in a mad dash to safety. "Prep about six doses of Alka-Selzer if you don't mind." He led the way inside, then took a look at Bruce's face as he passed and added, "Make that eight."  
  
"Ohhhh, God."  
  
"Great shawarma, huh, Cap?" Tony patted the groaning Steve—apparently even the super-serum couldn't handle a side of five falafel sandwiches—and pushed him into the lobby. The elevator was down, of course. His tower, his gorgeous tower—well, he wasn't thinking about that. Or about Manhattan, which he considered to be his city, in all her tawdry glory, or of all the people those bastards had killed—  
  
"Right. Doing. JARVIS?"  
  
"The lobby bar seems to be irreparably out of order, sir," JARVIS finally responded. "But I think you'll find the first aid kit is well-stocked."  
  
The rest of the team still looked completely zoned on post-Apocalyptic burn-out and too much grilled lamb. They were all sprawled on the plush, white lobby furniture, all of which was charred and missing legs or in pieces. Rogers had found three intact couch cushions, made himself a mattress and seemed pretty zonked out, a tiny frown between his eyes as he napped. Hawk was sitting on a broken armchair with Natasha curled up at his feet, her head resting on his knee. Thor had taken up an entire busted-up couch; for some reason he was lying with his head on the downward tilt.  
  
Bruce was still standing in the middle of the room looking nauseated and confused.  
  
"Hey, buddy. C'mon," Tony said, and tugged him past the charred reception desk and into the back office. "I don't know about you, but battle fatigue really takes a lot out of a guy. And I'm guessing you especially have to carbo-load like a mother to KREB cycle for the green guy, am I right, or am I right?" Tony cracked open a bottle of Pepto-Bismol and handed it to Bruce, who stared at it for a second before guzzling it down.  
  
He finished with a gasp and then licked pink from the corner of his lip. "Thanks." Then he let out a rip that practically blew Tony's hair back.  
  
Tony grinned. Bruce ducked his head. "Sorry."  
  
Raising his hands, Tony said, "Hey, no, you could belch the Star-Spangled Banner and I'd order JARVIS to pull up a flugelhorn accompaniment." He got serious. "Thanks, you know, for the Willie Mays. Steve told me you made quite a catch out there. I'd be a pavement pancake if you hadn't."  
  
Bruce ducked his head again. "That wasn't me. That was him."  
  
"Oh, right, right—so the green guy gets all the strokes, and you get all the shit, is that the way it works? Because that hardly seems fair, my friend. Seems to me if you have to put up with all the funny looks, you should get the thanks, too. Besides," Tony tossed the Pepto bottle into the office trash can. "You know what a princess I am. If you don't let me have my way I might throw a tantrum."  
  
That got him a real smile. "Fine, have it your way."  
  
"Fine. So, thank you." Tony offered his hand, and when Bruce took it, pulled him into a bro-hug. But something about the way Bruce just went with it, trusting and a little shy, made Tony drop his hand and make a real one. Felt nice. Went on a little longer than Tony expected, too, which made it hard for him to keep the broad smile off his face as he pulled back.  
  
"How's the gut?"  
  
"So-so."  
  
"That'll teach you to eat four pounds of lamb after a city-wide Apocalypse."  
  
The corners of Bruce's eyes crinkled as he grinned wide. "I suppose I'll have to work out a better routine. Maybe you and I can figure something out."  
  
"Actually, yeah—now that you mention it, I discussed some protein complexes with JARVIS it would be pretty simple for us to mix up. JARVIS? Do we have a working computer screen anywhere?"  
  
Tony could swear he heard JARVIS sigh before he responded, "Yes, sir."  
  
"Come on, let's get you fixed up with some lab space."  
  
Bruce whispered, "How hard would it be to get me a copy of JARVIS while we're at it?"  
  
Tony linked arms with him and tugged him out the door. "Oh, I do think this is the start of a beautiful friendship. Seriously. JARVIS? Sounds like you're gonna have a baby sister."  
  
"I beg your pardon, sir?"  
  
Turned out Banner had a pretty nice laugh to go with that smile.  
  
  
 _End._


End file.
